What is a PWA file?
A .PWA file is an encrypted database primarily created by Password Agent, a Windows password management software developed by Moon Software. Some .PWA files are also associated with PasswordWallet, a similar security application. These files securely store sensitive user data, including website login credentials, software license keys, PINs, and secure notes. Because the data is heavily encrypted, the contents are completely unreadable using standard text editors.
While the acronym PWA is widely known in the technology industry as a "Progressive Web App," a file specifically ending in the .PWA extension is almost always a password manager database.
How to open PWA files?
To fully open and decrypt a .PWA file, you need the original software that created it and the master password. If the file was created by Password Agent, you must install the Windows application, select `File > Open`, and enter your decryption key. Without the correct master password, the data remains permanently locked.
If you are trying to examine the file without the native software, standard file viewers will only display garbled text due to the encryption. However, you can still inspect the file header to confirm its origin. Command-line utilities like `file` on Linux or macOS can sometimes identify the file signature.
Best practices and troubleshooting
A common frustration with .PWA files is forgetting the master password or losing access to the original software. Because these are robust security files, there are no practical workarounds or brute-force tools to recover lost data easily. Always keep a secure backup of your master password.
If you find a random .PWA file on your system and do not know what it is, avoid trying to force it open in word processors, as saving the file could corrupt the encrypted binary data. Instead, use a file analyzer to safely check its metadata.
Software and tools
The primary tool for managing these files is Moon Software Password Agent. For users on Mac or mobile devices, PasswordWallet might be the associated application. If you have migrated to modern password managers like KeePass or Bitwarden, you generally must unlock the .PWA file in its original software first, export the database to a standard .CSV or .XML format, and then import it into your new tool.
Summary
Because the .PWA extension is used by specialized security tools, it can be difficult to know exactly which program you need just by looking at the file. viewer.online/pwa can analyze .PWA files to identify the exact format and creator software, inspect the file structure, extract readable text, and check whether an online preview is available. While it cannot bypass encryption to reveal your passwords, viewer.online/pwa is incredibly useful for safely identifying, inspecting, and understanding your .PWA files without installing software or dealing with compatibility problems.